Carpiodes velifer (Rafinesque, 1820)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The highfin carpsucker (Carpiodes velifer) is a long-lived freshwater fish found in the southeastern and midwestern United States. The smallest of the carpsuckers, its usual habitat is medium to large-size rivers where it is mostly found 1 to 3 metres (3 to 10 ft) beneath the surface. It is a silvery fish with a prominent dorsal fin, which grows to an average adult length of 36 centimetres (14 in), and a known maximum age of 56 years. It is considered to reach the onset of sexual maturity at the age of three and females have 41,644 to 62,355 ova each. This fish forages on sandy or gravelly bottoms for such small invertebrates as crustaceans, protozoa and mollusks as well as filamentous algae. Young fish are preyed on by northern pike, muskellunge, walleye and largemouth bass and larger fish are caught by recreational fishermen. The highfin carpsucker competes with catfish and does not thrive in rivers with high levels of siltation.
Wikipedia contributors, Highfin carpsucker; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T19:15:16.596722+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Carpiodes velifer (Rafinesque, 1820)
- Name authority
- (Rafinesque, 1820)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Cypriniformes
- Family
- Catostomidae
- Genus
- Carpiodes
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: no · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderCypriniformes
- familyCatostomidae Agassiz, 1850
- subfamilyIctiobinae Bleeker, 1863
- genusCarpiodes Rafinesque, 1820
- speciesCarpiodes velifer (Rafinesque, 1820)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Carpiodes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Carpiodes cyprinus (Lesueur, 1817) | CatostomidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Carpiodes difformis Cope, 1870 Cope, 1870 | synonym |
| Catostomus velifer Rafinesque, 1820 Rafinesque, 1820 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1022838 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:RG66. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.